Fitness foods: American College of Sports Medicine makes new discoveries in sports nutrition

Fitness Foods

IS THE LIGHTEST ATHLETE THE FASTEST ATHLETE? WILL PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS AFTER WEIGHT-LIFTING ENHANCE RECOVERY? DO certain pre-existing foods contribute to intestinal distress during exercise? These are a few of the sports nutrition concerns addressed at this year's meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). This professional group, comprised of more than 12,000 exercise physiologists, physicians, physical therapists, nutritionists, and other sports medicine professionals, meets annually to share the latest research in exercise physiology, sports nutrition and sports medicine. The following sports nutrition reports will keep you up to date.

* You're more likely to suffer gastrointestinal (GI) problems when you run and swim than when you cycle. If you commonly experience GI distress during competitive events, try eating foods low in protein, fat and fiber within 24 hours of the event. Liquifying food in the blender may also help--it will empty quicker from the stomach than in solid form. Also, drink plenty of water during exercise--you're less likely to have intestinal upset if you're well hydrated.

* Despite popular belief, protein supplements after weight lifting offer no recovery benefits. Of subjects who exercised rigorously enough to cause muscle soreness and reduced strength for six days, those who took the supplement gained no relief nor other benefits compared to those who ate the regular diet.

* If you want to lose weight, you'll be most successful if you monitor progress by keeping food, exercise and weight records. These written records help keep you on the "straight and narrow." To maintain weight loss, keep exercising. The sense of well-being that accompanies regular exercise, perhaps more than the exercise itself, is a key to successful weight maintenance. Major risk factors that contribute to regaining weight include depression, major life changes and job problems.

* Your weight may be affected more by the kinds of food you eat, rather than how much food you eat. Overweight people tend to eat more calories from fats, yet fewer calories per pound body weight, than do lean people.

* If you're struggling to lose the last few pounds, believing the lightest athlete is the fastest athlete, you can stop. Among elite women athletes (race walkers), the best performances were related to how much oxygen they could use and how quickly they could get rid of lactic acid. Genetics and training won out over thinness.

* If you think voluminous training will help improve your performance, you're mistaken. In a study of swimmers, those who drastically reduced their training over the course of four weeks (from 53,700 meters per week to 11,400 meters) improved their performance times. Rest, rather than overtraining, may be a better investment for competitive athletes. (Note: Despite exercising less, the swimmers maintained the same percent body fat.)

* For years, athletes have been warned to stay away from pre-exercise sugar in order to prevent hypoglycemic reactions during exercise. However, hypoglycemia seems to be an individual problem, as opposed to an across-the-board phenomenon. To set the state for a hypoglycemic reaction, six subjects drank either a weak (6%) or a strong (20%) sugar solution, then exercised moderately for 50 minutes. They experienced no light-headedness, nausea or other negative symptoms. The researchers concluded pre-exercise feedings of up to 72 grams CHO (288 calories) did not adversely affect performance in these six subjects.

* Are runners more likely to develop osteoarthritis of the hip or knee than non-runners? No, according to the Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas. Of 1,039 women and 4,429 men studied over a span of five to 15 years, 32 women and 70 men reported problems with arthritis. Older and heavier people were more likely to develop osteoarthritis than runners. The incidence of arthritis was not associated with lifetime miles run, years of running and/or fitness levels.

Sports medicine specialists, coaches, serious athletes and other sports professionals interested in keeping up-to-date on the latest exercise research are invited to attend regional chapter meetings of the American College of Sports Medicine. For more information and a brochure, write to: ACSM, P.O. Box 1440, Indianapolis, IN 46206-1440 or phone (317) 637-9200. In New England, the annual meeting is November 1 and 2 in Worcester. Write NEACSM, Dept. Sport, Leisure and Exercise Science, University of Connecticut U-34, Storrs, CT 06269 or phone (203) 486-5975.

Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D., nutritionist at SportsMedicine Brookline and a member of ACSM, is author of The Athlete's Kitchen and Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, available through New England Sports Publications, P.O. Box 252, Boston, MA 12113.

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